I am a Tombstone Tourist: someone who loves to wander cemeteries. I find it akin to visiting a museum: an opportunity to enjoy rarely seen sculpture, intricate carvings, and amazing architecture, all in a tranquil outdoor setting. This blog is about cemetery culture, art, history, issues of death, and genealogy - subjects of current relevance. I usually find something that intrigues me and makes me want to dig deeper. Care to join me? Read on...

Friday, May 17, 2013

The Black Aggie

Agnus Statue - Black Aggie

The
Black Aggie is a cemetery statue surrounded by myth and legend.When it was placed upon the grave of General Felix
Agnus in Druid Ridge Cemetery in Pikesville, Maryland, the statue immediately
stirred controversy and superstition among the locals.

Felix Agnus
was a Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General and owner/publisher of the Baltimore
American newspaper.Agnus was also one of the original members
of the Associated Press. He died on Halloween - October 31st,
1925 and was buried under the petulant gaze of what became known as 'Black Aggie.' But Agnus was not the first
to have this image guard his grave.

Marian 'Clover' Adams

The
original sculpture was created by the famous American artist, Augustus St.
Gaudens.He was commissioned to
create a statue for the grave of Marian ‘Clover’ Hooper Adams by her husband,
Henry.Adams wanted a sculpture
that embodied the Buddhist concept of nirvana: “release from the cycles of
life and death, desire and pain.” It was to memorialize his wife who had committed suicide in 1885. Six years
later, in 1891, the statue was placed on her grave in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington,
D.C.

Adams Memorial - 'Grief'

St.
Gaudens sculpted a shrouded figure in bronze, sitting, eyes closed, with its
back against a granite wall. He called the work “The Mystery of the
Hereafter and the Peace of God that Passeth Understanding.”Henry Adams wanted it known as the Adams Memorial. The public simply
called it “Grief.”

The Face of 'Grief'

The
sculpture has been described as mysterious, beautiful, moody, and haunting. The
result of the shadows cast by the changing light during the day make the
face inside the cowl appear to take on different expressions.

American Art Museum

Replica of Adams Memorial

The
Adams Memorial is said to be one of St. Gaudens most original and beautiful
works.It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1972. A
replica of the Adams Memorial – the life-sized, genderless statue, was cast in
1969 for the Smithsonian American Art Museum.It can be seen on the second floor, in the east wing of the museum.

Agnus Copy

The
Agnus statue was an unauthorized copy of the Adams Memorial, created by
sculptor Eduard L.A. Pausch. General Agnus purchased the unauthorized copy of
“Grief” in 1906.He had it erected
on the family’s plot in Druid Ridge Cemetery after his mother’s remains were
shipped from France and buried there in 1907.

Grass Would Not Grow...

Black Aggie

While
there is little in the way of legend that surrounds the Adams Memorial, the
Agnus sculpture is rife with superstitions.Tales abound of the Black Aggie walking Druid Ridge Cemetery
at night; legend has it that grass would not grow in the statue’s shadow, and
that the menacing eyes glowed red at the stroke of midnight. Many said that the spirit of Marian Adams
inhabited the statue.

Smithsonian Institution

The
urban legends grew and visitors flocked to the cemetery, mainly after hours, to see the
Black Aggie. Some tried to spend the night sitting on 'her' lap, others were said to have been found dead near the statue.Vandalism grew rampant and the Agnus
statue had to be removed from the cemetery.The Agnus family decided to donate it to the Smithsonian
Institution in 1967.

Back of Agnus Pedestal

Agnus Pedestal Today

Today,
the Agnus plot retains the empty granite pedestal.All that remains is a faint outline where the Black Aggie
once rested. A bronze sculpture of Felix Agnus’s face hangs on the back of the
granite stone.

Dolley Madison House

The
Smithsonian placed the Agnus statue in storage where it remained for years before
being given to the General Services Administration.In 1987, it was placed on display in the rear courtyard of
the Dolley Madison House on Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C.

Black Aggie Today

Black
Aggie remains there today, now looking more serene than menacing as 'she' contemplates life and death from a seat among the
trees, with a shrouded point of view.

About Me

I
love wine and will take any chance to sip, savor and share it! Hence, Joy’s JOY
of Wine http://joysjoyofwine.blogspot.com,
a weekly blog about all things wine. I've been in the industry for 15
years as a winery owner, marketing director, speaker, writer, wine judge, and
100% vino girl!

I'm
also a professional freelance magazine and book writer uncorking articles about
wine, food, history, travel, cemetery history and culture. My interest in
cemetery culture led to another great, or maybe I should say
"grave" gig, my weekly blog: A Grave Interest http://agraveinterest.blogspot.com where I get to travel around the country and speak about cemetery topics for genealogy, history and
education conferences.

I suppose you could say that wine is my
passion, and cemeteries are my diversion ... into another world.

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The contents of this site may NOT be used for commercial purposes without explicit written permission from the author and blog owner, Joy Neighbors. All photos are the property of Joy Neighbors and may not be used for financial gain of ANY kind.